Vino, Va Bene!

I really do love a good glass of wine.  I think my love was truly born after studying abroad in Italy.  It was there that I really began to appreciate Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and the like.  When I returned to the states, I immediately sought out wine bars where I could further my appreciation.  LA has tons of gems such as Bodega, Sheddy's, and Bottle Rock to name a few.  But after moving to Orange County, I found that the area has a severe lack of wine bars.  Until I found Bacchus' Secret Cellar.

Secret is definitely the word for this wine shoppe/bar.  It's nestled away in the Quail Hill neighborhood of Orange County, stuck between a Subway and a Thai Food restaurant in the local shopping center.  Sure, the location may sound weird, but once you walk inside you forget that someone is making 6-inch subs next door.

The walls of the cellar are lined with various wines from all over the world and tucked away in one corner is a cheese case highlighting different kinds of cheeses that would go well with your wine.  There is one bar, and the rest of the space is adorned with tables, couches, and comfy chairs.  You really do feel like you are in someone's cellar and not in some trendy bar.  If you are looking for more of a homey vibe, Bacchus definitely has it.

Vino, Va Bene!

The cellar offers different wine "flights" - 3 2.5oz glasses of different red or white wines for a set price, or you can order by the glass (or bottle) off of their extensive menu.  In addition to the cheese, Bacchus also offers various meats and other small bites to enjoy with your glass of wine, and of course some very decadent-looking chocolate truffles.

Overall, I was impressed with Bacchus' Secret Cellar.  It's a good stop for a nice date night, or just a casual drink with a friend.  With so many wine varieties to choose from, I think I'll be making more than one return trip to Bacchus.

Bacchus' Secret Cellar
6735 Quail Hill Parkway
Irvine, CA 92603

R+D Kitchen Take 2

Ok, so I may be a teensy bit obsessed with R+D Kitchen, but I promise I dine at other fine establishments in Orange County as well.  But since my friend suggested that we go to R+D Kitchen for my birthday dinner, I couldn't exactly pass that up now could I?

For those of you who don't know, R+D stands for Research and Development, which is exactly the premise behind this restaurant.  New dishes are tested in this restaurant, and if they are a success, will pop up at other Hillstone group restaurants such as Bandera, Houstons, etc.  Since the menu changes pretty frequently (especially as the seasons change), you can expect to see more posts about R+D Kitchen in the future.

But now the important stuff.  The food.

Last time when I dined at R+D Kitchen I had the Roasted Chicken and Mashed Potatoes, so this time I wanted to try something completely different.  My friend and I decided to have a balanced meal of salads, wine, and french fries.  Observe:

Light crispy fries seasoned with sea salt.  Delish.

The fries were lightly seasoned with sea salt, and had the perfect amount of crisp.  They were the perfect starter to go along with our Dragonstone Riseling which just happened to be pretty amazing.  I don't always rave about wine, but this Riseling was pretty fantastic.  I must find a bottle of it somewhere.  BevMo perhaps?

For my entree, I decided on the Mango Chicken Salad which had fresh diced mango, chicken, jicama, cucumber, almonds, noodles, cilantro, carrots, and lettuce. The salad also came with a soy-peanut vinagrette, but since I am unfortunately allergic to soy, I passed on the dressing. But the salad was still delicious without it.

Freshly made Mango Chicken Salad

My friend got the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad which had goat cheese, beets, egg, avocado and lettuce. I stole a bite of her seared tuna and it was prepared perfectly. You could definitely tell the fish was fresh.

Look at those delicious tuna slices

We were both so stuffed by the end of the meal that I ended up passing on the Pot de Creme (again!) but later had some flourless chocolate cake to share. All in all a great evening - good food, good company, and good wine.  R+D Kitchen, you never fail to impress me.

R+D Kitchen
555 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660